LEITCHFIELD, Ky. (Sept. 18, 2024) – Inspired by lessons learned during a leadership experience sponsored by Warren RECC, Grayson County High School senior Zola Nunn is encouraging her fellow students to register to vote.

“Voting is our opportunity to shape the future,” Nunn said while hosting a registration drive outside the high school cafeteria on National Voter Registration Day September 17 as part of the Co-ops Vote program.

With support from Warren RECC, Kentucky Electric Cooperatives and her high school counselor, Nunn aims to educate and encourage eligible voters to register and participate in the upcoming elections.

“We are incredibly proud of Zola for taking the initiative to lead this important event” said Aggie Manion, Grayson County High School counselor. “It’s important that our students recognize the power they have to impact their community and the world around them.”

Nunn learned about the Co-ops Vote initiative during trips to Frankfort and Washington, D.C. as part of the annual Youth Tour program coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, the statewide association of all 26 co-ops in the commonwealth. Warren RECC sponsored six students on the Washington Youth Tour this summer where delegates met Kentucky’s top political leaders and congressional staff, attended leadership seminars and toured national memorials.

“We are extremely proud of Zola and her initiative to make sure students her age are engaged in the political process” says Patty Kantosky, Warren RECC Vice President of Member Services and Information Technology. “The Frankfort and Washington Youth Tours are great opportunities for our students to learn more about how their government works and we are proud to be a part of them. We can’t wait to see what Zola and her fellow classmates accomplish as they go out into the world.”

The experience sparked a desire for Nunn to educate her friends, family and classmates about the importance of voting and raising voter turnout.

“I want to make sure that everyone knows how easy it is to register and that their voices can make a difference,” she said.

Since 2016, Kentucky’s electric cooperatives have partnered with the Kentucky Secretary of State on the Co-ops Vote program, a nonpartisan initiative with the goal of reversing a downward trend in rural voting.

A review of State Board of Elections data in the last ten presidential elections shows Kentucky voter turnout has yet to rebound since a steep decline in voter participation 28 years ago. In 1992, Kentucky reported 73.2% of registered voters cast a ballot in the general election. Just four years later, voter turnout dropped to 59.3%. Despite modest increases in subsequent presidential election cycles, voter turnout dipped even lower, to 59.1% in 2016, then clawed back to 60.3% in 2020.

According to the National Voter Registration Day annual report, 130,000 people across the country registered to vote or updated their registration on National Voter Registration Day in 2023. Alumni from the Youth Tour program, such as Zola Nunn, have also responded to the challenge by hosting voter registration drives.

“At the heart of every electric cooperative is the co-op principle of Concern for Community,” said Joe Arnold, Vice President of Strategic Communications. “Another co-op principle is Democratic Member Control. We are so proud of Zola for picking up the torch and embracing cooperative principles. By registering to vote as soon as they are eligible, then showing up at the ballot box in November, students like Zola are making voting a habit and strengthening our democracy.”

Those who are not registered to vote have until October 7, 2024, to register and be eligible to vote in the general election on November 5, 2024. Stop by your local county clerk’s office to register in person or click here to learn how to register online or by mail.

To learn more about Co-ops Vote, click here.

 

The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging the Environmental Protection Agency over its unlawful power plant rule.

“EPA’s power plant rule is unlawful, unreasonable and unachievable. It exceeds EPA’s authority and poses an immediate threat to the American electric grid,” NRECA CEO Jim Matheson said. “Under the rule, EPA illegally attempts to transform the US energy economy by forcing a shift in electricity generation to the agency’s favored sources.”

“Reliable electricity is the foundation of the American economy. EPA’s rule recklessly undermines that foundation by forcing the premature closure of power plants that are critical to keeping the lights on – especially as America increasingly relies on electricity to power the economy.”

Both NRECA and a coalition of 25 state attorneys general, including Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, filed suit against EPA in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

If allowed to take effect, the Biden Administration’s devastating energy rule would target existing coal plants and new natural gas plants with extreme emissions restrictions. The EPA’s crackdown would demand Kentucky’s coal-fired plants to take aggressive steps to curb emissions or force them to close. The government’s recommendations for cutting emissions rely on experimental and costly technologies that haven’t been proven to work.

“As member-owned cooperatives, we have a duty to fight for the Kentuckians at the end of the line who pay the price when bureaucrats carelessly inflict unrealistic and harmful regulations,” said Chris Perry, president and CEO of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, an association representing all 26 co-ops in the commonwealth. “The EPA’s rule is an assault on the electric reliability Kentucky relies on to keep our communities safe, healthy and prosperous.”

Perry applauded Coleman and the other attorneys general across the United States who are also challenging the Biden Administration’s effort to shut down Kentucky’s coal and natural gas power plants.

“We are grateful for Attorney General Coleman and the coalition of attorneys general standing up for ratepayers in Kentucky and all across America,” Perry added.

As of 2022, coal and gas accounted for 95% of Kentucky’s electricity. The Biden Administration’s rush to take existing plants offline in favor of alternative energy sources undermines the reliability of Kentucky’s grid and could leave families and manufacturers without access to affordable electricity.

“Hope is not a strategy, especially when our jobs and our families are on the line,” said Attorney General Coleman. “Simply hoping that unproven technologies will be able to fuel Kentucky’s economy is irresponsible. The result of President Biden’s rule is clear: Kentucky families and job-creators will be cut off from affordable and reliable energy. We’re fighting this radical green agenda that would only leave Kentucky in the dark.”

 

Kentucky Co-ops Present Award at 77^th Annual Meeting that Emphasized Grid Reliability

Kentucky Electric Cooperatives recognized outdoorsman and television host Tim Farmer as its 2023 Distinguished Rural Kentuckian during the co-op association’s 77^th Annual Meeting in Louisville. As the host of “Kentucky Afield” for 20 years, and on the nationally syndicated “Tim Farmer’s Country Kitchen” since 2012, Farmer casts a positive light on Kentucky. Overcoming a traumatic injury while a U.S. Marine in the 1980s and a persistent painful condition to this day, Farmer’s story exemplifies the best of Kentucky.
 
Distinguished Rural Kentuckian is the highest honor bestowed by the association, which consists of 26 electric cooperatives across the commonwealth. It recognizes outstanding individuals who have devoted their lives to Kentucky in a way that matches the co-op mission of enhancing the quality of life here. Kentucky Electric Cooperatives President and CEO Chris Perry presented Farmer with the award following a special video tribute. The full video can be viewed on the association’s YouTube channel.
 

“If I ever did anything worthwhile, it’s because I have been surrounded with wonderful worthwhile family and friends,” said 2023 Distinguished Rural Kentuckian Tim Farmer. “And having the best parents in the world is the greatest blessing. Some of the wisest words I have ever heard came from the deepest hollers. What an honor to be in the company of folks that have preceded me in this tradition.”
 
Farmer is the 39^th Distinguished Rural Kentuckian. Since 1982, the association has honored recipients from the arts, politics, journalism, business, education, religion, athletics, and agriculture. Three former honorees were in attendance at this year’s banquet, including 2004 recipient Jim Host, 2017 honoree Byron Crawford and 2021 recipient David Beck.
 
“We are so proud to celebrate another outstanding year for Kentucky’s cooperatives and to recognize Tim Farmer’s inspirational story and dedication to Kentucky,” said Kentucky Electric Cooperatives President and CEO Chris Perry. “Behind our responsibility to deliver safe and reliable energy at the lowest cost possible, is the underlying mission to improve the quality of life in the communities we serve. This meeting made clear, Kentucky’s electric cooperatives will advocate for their consumer-members, no matter what it takes.”
 
The Annual Meeting’s banquet also featured a keynote address from Hall of Fame basketball coach John Calipari of the University of Kentucky. Speaking to several hundred co-op members, friends and guests, Calipari praised Kentucky’s cooperatives, saying: “They serve half of our state. They’re about people first, not profits. And they’re big basketball fans. My goal for my team is to have the same commitment and resolve as you do in this room.”
 
With a theme of Support, Advocate, Educate, the meeting also included remarks by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Youth Leadership Council delegate Brennan Christmas of Logan County High School and nationally known energy journalist Robert Bryce, who urged co-ops to push back against government policies that threaten reliable and affordable power.   
 
During the Annual Meeting, the co-ops also celebrated the 75^th anniversary issue of Kentucky Living magazine, the flagship publication of the association that spotlights the people, places and activities that make Kentucky a great place to live, work and play.

Kentucky-based United Utility Supply Cooperative (UUS) is congratulating its sister cooperative and strategic partner ERMCO, Inc. upon the manufacture of its eight-millionth transformer since the company was founded in 1972.

At a ceremony at ERMCO’s Dyersburg, Tennessee plant on June 29, ERMCO President and CEO Tim Mills delivered the milestone pad-mount transformer to Chris Perry, president and CEO of both UUS and Kentucky Electric Cooperatives.

“ERMCO is the largest producer of distribution transformers and components in the United States,” Mills said. “We continue to invest in expanding our output, including the recent acquisition of Spire Power Solutions. We’re also increasing manufacturing efficiencies and developing our workforce to accelerate production to meet the nation’s critical infrastructure needs.”

In 2015, Kentucky Electric Cooperatives reached an agreement with ERMCO for UUS to utilize its industry-leading warehouse and distribution network to distribute ERMCO transformers across the UUS footprint primarily in the eastern United States. As part of the agreement, ERMCO purchased the assets of the Kentucky cooperatives’s transformer manufacturing plant.

“UUS and ERMCO were once fierce competitors,” Perry said. “But my board and I saw recognized our mutual commitment to cooperative principles and that together we would be successful. It is our duty as cooperatives to diligently look out for the best interests of our members, and thanks to the dedicaton of our respective workforces, our members have greatly benefitted from this partnership.

ERMCO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc (AECI).

“The board of directors of Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. are committed to ensuring that ERMCO has the support needed to achieve its commendable production goals,” said Buddy Hasten, president and CEO of AECI. “AECI has a 50 year investment in the organization and will continue to serve as an advocate for ERMCO as the company continues its efforts to provide products that are critical to our nation’s power delivery infrastructure.”

ERMCO and United Utility Supply have worked together to meet supply chain challenges and industry pressures.

“ERMCO has stepped up to meet the growing needs. Our partnership is a testament to our shared commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer satisfaction,” Perry added. “Together, we will redefine industry standards, develop groundbreaking technologies, and drive the transition toward a sustainable and resilient energy future.”

Mills provided perspective on the tremendous growth of the cooperative’s transformer manufacturing.

“Our first million took 258 months to produce, and reaching eight million took 27 months,” he said. “Moving forward, we see the potential to produce one million transformers each year. With our incredible team, we will make that happen.”

Column by U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell

“I want you to look me in the eyes,” President Biden told a young woman during his 2020 presidential campaign. “I guarantee you. We’re going to end fossil fuel.”

Well, the President is making good on that promise with yet another assault in his War on Affordable Energy. The Biden Administration announced new regulations in May that will further cripple America’s domestic energy production, threaten our national security, and squeeze workers and job creators in Middle America.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) latest rule will resurrect devastating emissions standards that liberals have spent more than a decade trying to drop on folks in Kentucky and the rest of coal country. The measure revives the Obama Administration’s so-called ‘Clean Power Plan’ with the intention of drastically reducing coal-fired power plants. In fact, the new requirements would require a whopping 60 percent of power plants in our country to either slash their greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent over the next decade or shut down.

By imposing unworkable deadlines and requiring unproven technologies that are not commercially available, the Biden Administration’s message to Kentucky’s power plants and the rest of coal country is clear: shut down.

“This could rein in Kentucky’s ability to generate further economic development moving forward,” said one Kentucky energy producer.

Jim Matheson of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association warned: This new rule would “force critical, always available power plants into early retirement.”

It “will further strain America’s electric grid and undermine decades of work to reliably keep the lights on across the nation,” he went on.

This latest version of the ‘Clean Power Plan’ comes at a time when energy usage is up 73 percent over the past four decades and widespread power outages continue to surge. Power plants that fail to meet the EPA’s stringent new requirements will be forced to shut down, further threatening the reliability of our power grids.

For two years, President Biden has given liberal activists the green light to push a radical climate agenda that only compounds the pain of Washington Democrats’ inflation. Lower-income ratepayers in particular will see their energy bills creep up as a result of these new mandates. And Eastern Kentucky, the heart of our coal country, could see more plants close and even more jobs lost.

By hollowing out production of affordable and reliable American energy, the Biden EPA’s new rule will threaten our energy security. Rather than unleash our own abundant reserves, Washington Democrats would apparently prefer to lean even further on our adversaries for critical supply chains.

Sadly, this is a story Kentuckians know all too well. For eight years under the Obama Administration, they watched the “War on Coal,” kill jobs and cripple communities across Appalachia. In his eight years in office, President Obama helped put more than 10,000 Kentucky miners out of work. Coal employment declined to levels we haven’t seen since the 1800s. And the damage is still being felt to this day. Now President Biden is picking up where he and President Obama left off. The Obama-Biden War on Coal has come in many different forms, but the same basic disdain for Middle America keeps showing its face.

Given President Biden’s track record on executive overreach, it should come as no surprise that the Supreme Court struck down a similar EPA mandate only a year ago. Last April, the Court made it clear that it’s Congress that gets to create energy policy, not unelected bureaucrats. But the Biden Administration’s climate activists are trying to ram this policy through again anyway. So I’m proud to stand with my Republican colleague, Senator Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia, who is leading the charge in Congress against this punitive measure.

Washington Democrats’ latest power grab from the EPA is a recipe for soaring energy prices, electricity blackouts, and less national security. Working Americans cannot afford it — and Kentuckians least of all.

Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, is the Senate Republican Leader.

More than 1,000 broken utility poles

All across Kentucky, local electric cooperatives are wrapping up massive power restoration efforts five days after an historic windstorm snapped more than 1,000 utility poles and threw trees and other debris into power lines.

From a high of more than 300,000 consumer-members without power on Friday, as of 8pm (eastern) Wednesday, about 2,000 consumer-members remain without service, primarily in Kentucky cave country where restoration could take until the end of the week in the most severely damaged areas. Hundreds of members are without power in Edmonson and Grayson Counties. Much of that area is served by Warren RECC where local crews are working alongside mutual aid crews from several states. At Warren RECC alone, at least 385 broken poles are reported.

“We continue to ask for patience as we restore the remaining areas,” said Kim Phelps, Sr. Dir., Communications and Public Relations. “We are in the stage of restoration where pole replacements, removing trees from power lines, and putting up lines allows us to turn the power on to just a few houses at a time.”

Even as co-ops complete restoration efforts, linemen are still on the job, checking on areas that still have power but where infrastructure is damaged.

“Crews are coming across broken poles where electric service is live,” said Randy Meredith, Director of Safety & Training at Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, the association which supports local co-ops. “We cannot emphasize this enough. Please report such broken poles to your co-op and stay away from these dangerous situations, including damaged trees leaning into electric lines.”

Most of the mutual aid crews from more than 60 sister co-ops in 11 different states are now headed home. Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives is built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.

Kentucky-based United Utility Supply Cooperative continues to assist with storm response to cooperatives across the region. Its Cooperative Distribution Center in Louisville is responding with transformers, power lines, poles and all other materials needed to outfit an electric utility.

Co-op crews continue massive restoration

Though Kentucky’s electric cooperatives have restored service to 94 percent of the consumer-members who lost power in Friday’s windstorm, co-ops are not letting up on their massive response to the natural disaster.

“It’s all hands on deck,” said Randy Meredith, Director of Safety & Training at Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, the association which supports local co-ops. “Co-op crews are not letting up. We are working around the clock. Each crew is working 16 hour shifts at staggered times, so there are crews working 24/7.”

Co-ops are making steady progress restoring power. At the height of the windstorm on Friday, more than 300,000 consumer-members lost power in Kentucky. As of 1:00pm (EST) on Tuesday, about 15,000 members remain without power. The remaining outages are among the most difficult to address.

“In addition to the many communities, industries and neighborhoods served by electric cooperatives, co-ops also pride themselves in providing electricity to the most remote, most difficult to serve areas of Kentucky,” said Joe Arnold, Vice-President of Strategic Communications. “These areas are also often among the most difficult to restore service after a natural disaster given the terrain and other factors. Our co-ops value every co-op member, and with the help of mutual aid crews from co-ops in 11 states, they have made significant progress.”

About 500 personnel have arrived from more than 60 sister co-ops. Coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, the statewide association of co-ops, crews are working here from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives is built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.

Several co-ops are receiving assistance from other utilities within the state, as well as hundreds of contract crews. Co-ops report more than 600 broken utility poles and thousands of power lines down across the 117 counties served by co-ops across the commonwealth.

Kentucky-based United Utility Supply Cooperative is assisting with storm response to cooperatives across the region. Its Cooperative Distribution Center in Louisville is responding with transformers, power lines, poles and all other materials needed to outfit an electric utility.

Remaining outages are among most difficult

The mutual aid response to power restoration in Kentucky continues to grow, as two more states have sent crews to sister co-ops here.

With the addition of co-op crews from Indiana and Arkansas, co-ops from 11 different states are now assisting, not including the crews from within Kentucky who are also traveling to neighboring cooperatives.

With damage as widespread as any natural disaster in Kentucky electric cooperative history, co-ops are making steady progress restoring power. At the height of the windstorm on Friday, more than 300,000 consumer-members lost power in Kentucky. As of 4:00pm (EST) on Monday, about 34,000 members remain without power. With the ground saturated from heavy rains, heavy trucks have had difficulty accessing damaged infrastructure.

About 475 personnel have arrived from more than 60 sister co-ops. Coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, the statewide association of co-ops, crews are working here from Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives is built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.

In addition, several co-ops are receiving assistance from other utilities within the state, as well as hundreds of contract crews. Co-ops report more than 600 broken utility poles and thousands of power lines down across the 117 counties served by co-ops across the commonwealth.

“Though co-ops have made steady progress restoring nearly 90 percent of the outages since Friday, this last 10 percent will likely be the most challenging and time consuming,” said Chris Perry, president and CEO of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “Co-op staff take these outages personally and share the urgency of co-op members to restore service as quickly as possible. The messages of support from the membership are so encouraging.” Kentucky-based United Utility Supply Cooperative is assisting with storm response to cooperatives across the region. Its Cooperative Distribution Center in Louisville is responding with transformers, power lines, poles and all other materials needed to outfit an electric utility

Massive windstorm damage prompts cooperation

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (March 5, 2023) – With damage as widespread as any natural disaster in Kentucky electric cooperative history, co-ops are making steady progress restoring power.

At the height of the windstorm on Friday, more than 300,000 consumer-members lost power in Kentucky. As of 3:00pm (EST) on Sunday, about 74,000 members remain without power. With the ground saturated from heavy rains, heavy trucks have had difficulty accessing damaged infrastructure.

Because all 26 of Kentucky’s electric cooperatives sustained damage in this historic event, Kentucky co-op crews have stayed at home to restore power locally. As of Sunday afternoon, more than 375 personnel have arrived from 58 sister co-ops. Coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, the statewide association of co-ops, crews are working here from Illinois, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives is built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.

In addition, several co-ops are receiving assistance from other utilities within the state, as well as hundreds of contract crews. Co-ops report hundreds of snapped utility poles and thousands of power lines down across the 117 counties served by co-ops across the commonwealth.

“With the help of our fellow co-ops, power restoration work is continuing around the clock.” said Chris Perry, president and CEO of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “Our member co-ops understand this prolonged outage is a major inconvenience for members. We hear and share their frustration. We are thankful that most homes and businesses were spared damage in this event, but the persistent high winds and hurricane-strength gusts on Friday took a tremendous toll on electric infrastructure.”

Kentucky-based United Utility Supply Cooperative is assisting with storm response to cooperatives across the region. Its Cooperative Distribution Center in Louisville is responding with transformers, power lines, poles and all other materials needed to outfit an electric utility.